02:33 - VIGJust sayin' I remember nikarg's Sodom review on the front page, that album was like 30 years old

02:27 - ScreamingSteelUSTechnically, Che's Manunkind review was too old to be featured on the front page. That was a special exception; usually, we prefer to keep our reviews within three-to-four months, with six months as an absolute cutoff.

02:14 - VIG@Radu Of course! I don't think it's too old to be featured on the front page. Look at Che's Manunkind review

00:09 - RaduPPublished a review for an album that's a bit too old to be featured on the front page, but you guys will read it, right? [link]

The first era consists of the first three albums, namely Vikingligr Veldi (1994), Frost (1994) and Eld (1997). All these albums are important releases in Viking Metal's history and they have defined some musical aspects for the whole genre.

The second era is the era of development. It consists of fourth and fifth albums Blodhemn (1998) and Mardraum: Beyond The Within (2000). Enslaved's sound is now cleaner but still raw and fast-forward. These albums are some of their fastest and most aggressive.

The third era includes even more developed and experimental sound on Enslaved's two of the almost useless albums. First, Monumension (2001) hits the bottom and then another album seems to be lost, namely Below The Lights (2003) which anyway shows that there's light in the end of the tunnel.

The fourth era is possibly the most interesting one. Now Enslaved's reformation is complete and albums Isa (2004) and Ruun (2006) complete the circle. The sound is in its cleanest and full of progressive elements, but not without a reason. Both albums are filled with catchy riffs, melodies, excellent musicianship but still they haven't forgot the rawness and epic viking feeling which always have been there for Enslaved. Perfect combination of progressive and epic metal.

The fifth and last era includes latest full-length albums so far, namely Vertebrae (2008) and Axioma Ethica Odini (2010). In these albums, the band seems to utilize the experience they've gained through their whole career. They don't offer so much new and mainly fail in composing, which makes Vertebrae quite pointless release. On Axioma Ethica Odini they seem to have succeeded a lot better, which makes it an average Enslaved-release and generally speaking, a great piece of Metal.

Of course opinions vary, and it's not easy to list any albums in ranking order, at least when there's eleven of them. Anyway, this is my opinion today, and it seems to change a bit every time when listening to some of the albums. Also this list doesn't include any EP's, demos or rehearsal tapes, which would make the work even harder. All three EP's, Hordanes Land (1993), The Sleeping Gods (2011) and Thorn (2011) are very good releases and add even more value to the band's high standard, as it already is.

It's also impossible to raise any of the albums above others. Still, Monumension seems to be the only total disappointment, with Vertebrae as the second lowest performance. My first Enslaved-experience back in the day was Frost, which appears to be their most epic, original and famous release. Then I introduced myself to Vikingligr Veldi and soon Eld came out. These three albums together with bands like Hades, Helheim and Einherjer created the base for Norwegian Viking Metal, but Enslaved was for more. Soon they began developing and progressiveness came along. It's possible to hear that already on some parts of Eld, which otherwise is a super epic and timeless album.

One thing which is recognizable for all albums, is rawness. Somehow they manage to combine the beauty with the cruelty, which comes out quite clearly as clean and raw vocals, as well as highly variable tempo changes. All in all, their career has been very productive yet of high quality. Whatever we're getting on next album, I hope it's something new again, and the victorius march may continue!

Hey guys, thanks for your comments! When I made this list, I found it almost impossible to put the albums in any satisfying order. Anyway, it was clear, that Vertebrae and Monumension had to be on the bottom. Those albums just not are for me, and if I'm about to listen to Enslaved, there's 9 better options available. And yes, Isa is even better than the classic albums. 10 out of 10.

Thanks GB! It's hard to say why I liked Eld so much because it's almost four years since I wrote this. It seems to be almost four months since you asked that, so maybe I'll listen to Eld now and explain that in four weeks?

I guess the reason is that Eld represents the rawest and purest viking era of the band. Even though Isa is the best album for me, I value the very first albums because that's what Enslaved was when I got to know it.

Anyway I'll check out the album and let you know. What's your opinion about the album btw?